Challenges

It was a challenging program and a professionally demanding MD and our time was cut by various things and then I had a family event in Adelaide so missed further practices but it went OK in the end.  I was massively embarrassed by a miscount, of all things playing a pizz latin groove in the most jazzy segment on the day - too comfy - but I enjoyed the local Christopher Sainsbury composition about a running stream Gurawa and the original played by the composer and solo flautist Christine Draeger Three dances for imaginary animals. I could admire the Schoeck Sommernacht with its lovely off-beat somnambulism, but the star of the show was Honegger Symphony no. 2 written in the early years of WW2, all military and metal and tense with a hugely wary and seductive second movement and a frantic third movement leavened by a beautiful, redemptive trumpet solo.  Apt given our second performance was in a Bungendore church hall frequented by Mary McKillop, Australia's first saint.  So to all, sorry for that miscount but thanks for an exhilarating if very demanding set of music.

Musica da Camera performed Schoeck, Draeger, Sainsbury and Honegger at Cook and Bungedore under Monica Buckland (MD, conductor) with solos from Christine Draeger (flute, composer) and Mark Strykowski (trumpet) and in the presence of Christopher Sainsbury (composer).